Colin Fitzgerald
2025-26 Team: Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
Date of Birth: April 1, 2008
Place of Birth: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Ht: 6-foot-2 Wt: 207 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Center
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings: 82nd (Among NA skaters)
- Baracchini’s Top 96 March Rankings (THW): 92nd
- Forbes’ Top 96 April Rankings (THW): 70th
- Orth’s Top 96 Final Rankings (THW): 87th
- Daily Faceoff: 87th
After being drafted by his hometown team, the Peterborough Petes, third overall in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, there were high hopes that Colin Fitzgerald could turn into a building piece for the Petes. After a season-plus of playing with the Petes, Fitzgerald did not necessarily live up fully to the third overall selection and was eventually traded to the Soo Greyhounds this season. With that being said, there is still plenty to like about his game.
Watching Fitzgerald on the ice, it is hard to miss him with the size that he has, standing at 6-foot-2 and pushing almost 210 pounds. He has zero issue using that size to his advantage, as he loves to get involved along the boards in puck battles and plays a physical style of game. Once the game turns into an offensive opportunity, he is more of a play-supporter than a driver, though. He works himself into position well to make a play with the puck, and once he does have it, he loves to shoot.
While he has strong shooting ability, with a heavy, accurate shot, he tends to get tunnel vision and misses opportunities to find a teammate for a better chance on net. He did show flashes of good playmaking as the season progressed, demonstrating more patience with the puck thanks to his high hockey IQ. But overall, he needs to become more consistent to be a true dual threat in the offensive zone.
Away from the puck, Fitzgerald has good speed when he is given the time and space to build it up. But, when he has to try and get going quickly, his footwork and foot speed do lack. His mobility is an area he will need to work on if he wants to become a more well-rounded player. On the defensive side of the puck, he plays responsibly enough to be relied upon and uses his IQ to sniff out lanes and gets in them to break up plays or take further advantage of his size and throw hits when given the chance.
Overall, Fitzgerald is a solid player who can play a power-forward-type game, with a really strong shot, too. The trade to the Greyhounds this season seemed to help him get his game on track as the season progressed, and another offseason of honing his skills could help take his game to another level.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Colin Fitzgerald- NHL Draft Projection
The flashes that Fitzgerald has shown, mixed in with his strong rookie season in the 2024-25 season with the Pete’s gives hope that he can develop his offensive game to another level, but at this point, he will likely be a mid-round pick, more towards the end of the third round or early in the fourth.
Quotables
“Colin has always been an elite player entering the league and has shown the potential to be an elite player for us, making him a perfect fit moving forward. His combination of speed, skill, size, and ability to read the game is what every top player in this league is built on.”- Soo Greyhounds GM Kyle Raftis
“Fitzgerald plays a typical power forward game for a guy standing at 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds. He hits frequently, and he hits HARD. He uses that power to generate offense, but he’s more of a support guy than a play-driver. While Fitzgerald’s skating is still a heavy work in progress, and he’s not as offensively inclined as even a few others around this area, his game is highly projectable in a bottom-line role.”- Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
Strengths
- Heavy, accurate shot
- Responsible defensive game
- Plays physically well
- Loves to battle for the puck
- Good open ice speed
- High IQ
Under Construction- Improvements to Make
- Becoming more consistent with his offensive game; in particular his playmaking
- Footwork and speed out the gates needs improvement to be able to break away from opponents
- Work on widening his vision and becoming less “shoot first”
NHL Potential
With his current game and style of play, Fitzgerald projects to be more of a third or fourth line player in the NHL in a checking role. If his offensive game develops to another level, he could end up as a third line player who brings some secondary offense.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk: 2/5 Reward: 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense: 5.5/10 Defense: 6/10
Awards/Achievements
- 2024 U17 WHC Silver Medal (Canada Red)
- 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Bronze Medal (Canada)
- 2025 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game
Interviews/Links
Colin Fitzgerald Stats
Videos
Colin Fitzgerald from the point!!! 1-0 Greyhounds pic.twitter.com/w0COPJpSiK
— X – Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) February 5, 2026
Hounds came out the gate hungry 🐕
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 11, 2026
Colin Fitzgerald has his 12th of the season to push the @OHLHoundPower lead out to two!@FloHockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Dcg4haYnar
A little Fitzmagic on a football Sunday 🪄
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 9, 2025
Colin Fitzgerald flies down the wing and fires it home to double the @PetesOHLhockey lead!@FloHockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pKLBRnB3Yd
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